VR Tech Times

So, the consumer shall now experience Tata.Cars . New font. New colours. Definitely new flooring, furniture and fixtures too. Very interesting exercise. There must have been solid logic behind the same, with some heart too added for flavour. Do I like it? Too early to comment. Do I dislike it? Too early, once again. Branding, and rebranding, is a funny creature. There’s fur and then there’s flesh. Initially, we get caught up with the fur – the very name, the font, the colour palette, the digital renditions, the landing page of the website, the look of the social media handles and so on. Over time, we get to get down to the flesh. The behaviour. The response time. The availability of spares. The RSA. The cleanliness of the service bay. The timely reminders. The smiles and scowls. My brand strategy guru, Wally Olins, taught me that the brand is beyond all the fur. It lives in the flesh. “The brand, Avik, is the promise of an experience delivered consistently, over time.” This is what he...

A lot of us on the Autocar India review team have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Clavis EV . Who knew a bunch of auto enthusiasts would be looking forward to an electric 7-seat MPV. The thing is, though, electric and MPV are two very congruous elements.  If you’re going to have a large people mover, an electric drivetrain does well by not penalising you on efficiency – like an internal-combustion engine does – and its smooth and silent running keeps everyone happy. And in an MPV, where it’s a relaxed frame of mind you’re often driving in, electric power again suits this character to a T. So yes, this combination really does make sense, and the electric Clavis really brings out this harmonious pairing superbly.  The Clavis shares its powertrain with the Hyundai Creta Electric, and we have the larger 51.4kWh battery model, which drives a 171hp motor. Efficiency, while not bad, is lower than the Hyundai’s. So far, in the city, on my home-to-office run, the Clavis manag...

Off-road riding is physically demanding, requires a lot of stamina, and a conventional riding jacket often becomes more of a hindrance than help. It traps heat, feels bulky and restrictive, and can leave you feeling fatigued much sooner than expected. This layer is designed to address that problem, offering a combination of protection and breathability that you can wear under an MX jersey for trail or off-road riding. Essentially, it is a lightweight, zippered base layer with impact protection (CE Level 2 armour at the elbows, shoulders, back, and CE Level 1 chest protectors). It is available in six sizes, ranging from S to 3XL. Like most riding jackets, a size S fit me perfectly, and it paired seamlessly with a size M Raida jersey. What immediately stood out was the material. It allows for plenty of airflow and feels much lighter than a conventional riding jacket. More importantly, it offers a greater range of movement, which is useful when standing on the pegs or shifting your body ...

This G82-gen BMW M4 that you see has been on sale internationally since 2020, it came to India in 2022, and it even received a facelift (LCI or Life Cycle Impulse in BMW speak) a few years back. Yet, somehow, we never got a chance to drive it on Indian tarmac all these years. Now, however, we’ve finally spent some meaningful time with the BMW M4 Competition on home turf to see what it’s like. BMW M4 Competition exterior design and engineering - 8/10 Whether you like it or not, the huge kidney grille gives it an imposing road presence. The BMW M4 Competition remains one of those cars that gets people talking before they’ve even heard it start. The enormous kidney grille is still the defining feature, and whether you like it or not, it gives the M4 a face that is impossible to mistake for anything else. The rest of the design is far more cohesive, with a long bonnet, heavily sculpted surfaces, flared wheel arches and a low, wide stance. At the rear, the quad exhausts, bootlip spoiler ...

All locally manufactured Triumph motorcycles are now sold with a new 349cc single-cylinder that has been downsized from the original 399cc motor. On paper, the performance drops are small, with power going from 40hp at 8,000rpm to 37hp at 8,500rpm, and torque from 37.5Nm at 6,500rpm to 32Nm at 7,000rpm. 350cc Triumph Scrambler 400 X: Acceleration During our test, the conditions were dry. Acceleration Time (seconds) 0-40kph 1.79s  0-60kph 3.27s  0-80kph 5.37s  0-100kph 8.54s  The power delivery of this new motor is now more linear. Power picks up nicely at 6,000rpm, and it redlines at 9,700rpm. The motor now produces noticeably lower vibrations, and this is something you’ll enjoy both in the city and on the highway. There are no changes to the gearing, but the bike now feels more relaxed at 100kph, and this makes it a better tourer as well. 350cc Triumph Scrambler 400 X: Roll-On Acceleration The bike makes 37hp at 8,500rpm and 32Nm at 7,000rpm. Roll-On Acceleration T...

It’s not every day that a new brand enters the Indian market, but by the end of this year, we’ll have two – JSW and Denza. Last month, we exclusively reported on Denza’s intention to enter India , and now we bring you all the additional juicy details. A little bit about the brand first. Founded in May 2010 as a joint venture between BYD and Daimler AG (now Mercedes-Benz Group AG), the company announced its brand name ‘Denza’ two years later. Mercedes has since exited the partnership, and in 2022, BYD repositioned the brand and is generally concentrating its efforts at the higher end of the market.  In India, Denza will be positioned above BYD’s existing portfolio, with products at around Rs 80 lakh and above, while BYD will occupy the Rs 20 to Rs 80 lakh space. Leading Denza’s charge will be two models, the  Z9 GT high-performance fastback and the D9 luxury MPV. Both will be brought in as completely built-up units. Denza Z9 GT: Enormously powerful yet practical fastback The Z...

Priced at Rs 2 lakh (ex-showroom), the Keeway EZI Hypevolt-R arrives in India as a CKD and occupies the premium end of the electric scooter market. The dual-battery setup gives you the choice of charging the scooter directly or removing the batteries and charging them at home. The catch is weight: each battery weighs 17.3kg. Charging the scooter from 0-100 percent took 6hr 15min. The only issue we faced was that the charging cable is rather short, which could be inconvenient depending on where your socket is positioned. The claimed IDC range of this scooter is 180km. We conducted this range test over two days and riding mainly in Normal mode, we managed a riding range of 125km. That is a respectable real-world figure and considering the performance it offers in this mode.  Battery Percentage Kilometres Covered 80% 32.7km 60% 60.2km 45% 77.5km 15% 109km 10% 114.6km 0% 125km Autocar India’s range testing Before our real-world range test, the battery of our two-wheeler on test is ful...

When the first Bajaj Pulsar 150 broke onto the scene in 2001, it shattered the mould of what was expected of an accessible yet sporty commuter motorcycle. This recipe saw such widespread success that nothing Bajaj brought out since has been able to replace it. Therefore, the company went back to the drawing board and has now brought out a new generation of Classic Pulsars, spearheaded by the 125 and 150. In this review, we’ll share what the larger one was like to ride.  Bajaj Pulsar 150: What’s changed compared to before? From the mechanicals to the tech, it is all-new To start with, gone are the double-cradle frame and twin shock absorbers, replaced by a lighter and stiffer diamond frame and monoshock, respectively. Complementing the new chassis is a brand new motor. This engine started life as an engine from a similar displacement N model, but Bajaj has made certain changes to suit this application. The state of tune, various internals and the exhaust system are all different ...

The classic Pulsar 125 has always been the most affordable way into Bajaj Pulsar ownership and while the 2026 model might look largely the same as before, underneath, it is actually all new. Bajaj Pulsar 125 what’s changed under the skin? Everything from stem to stern is all-new To start with, gone are the double-cradle frame and twin shock absorbers, replaced by a lighter and stiffer diamond frame and monoshock, respectively. Complementing the new chassis is a brand-new motor. This engine started life as an engine from an N model of a similar displacement, but Bajaj has made certain changes to suit this application. For instance, the new 124.58cc engine on the smaller Pulsar has the lightest crank inertia among its peers – claims Bajaj – and the company has saved 1.2kg here alone, compared to before. Speaking of weight, the 125 weighs 131kg with its 11 litre fuel tank brimmed. Despite all under-the-skin changes, the Pulsars retain their traditional styling to cater to market demand...